Will Putin visit India in 2025? Officials issue clarification amid reports
'NSA, during his visit to Moscow, has said that the dates of President Putin's visit to India are being worked out. No specific date or time has been indicated by NSA in his engagements. The time of end-August being reported is incorrect,' people familiar with the matter said.
The clarification came during National Security Advisor Ajit Doval's visit to Russia to hold crucial talks on bilateral energy and defence ties.
Doval's visit to Russia comes amid some strain in ties between India and the US over New Delhi's continuing procurement of Russian crude oil, notwithstanding Western sanctions on Moscow.
US President Donald Trump on Wednesday issued an executive order slapping an additional 25 per cent tariff on Indian goods as a penalty for New Delhi's continued purchase of Russian oil.
The additional duties raised the overall tariff on India to 50 per cent.
Defending its purchase of Russian crude oil, India has been maintaining that its energy procurement is driven by national interest and market dynamics.
Russia had earlier hinted at Putin visit
Earlier this year, Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov had confirmed that Putin will visit India in 2025, marking his first visit since the Ukraine war began in February 2022
Lavrov had in April said preparations are underway for Putin's visit, although he did not specify a timeline.
Putin last visited India in December 2021, ahead of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. If the visit materialises in the second half of 2025, as expected, it will be his first trip to the country in nearly four years.
India has refrained from publicly criticising Russia's invasion of Ukraine and called for a return to dialogue and diplomacy, saying a solution can't be found on the battlefield.
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